The Perfume Kids
Chapter One
written by jaron summers (c) 2023
Nosey here, and I’ve got a crazy story to share ….
My family often says I’m clever, though I sometimes wonder, particularly when I’m upset with my freckles.
You see, my freckles are like a starry galaxy and there’s this amazing dragon-shaped one right on my nose. Everyone talks about how my freckles are connected to our unique dragon croissants that we create in our bakery. Quite fascinating, isn’t it?
One sunny day in our kitchen, my mom, Dianne, assured me, “The other kids are simply envious.” Mom has a way of calming me down with her words. As she brushed my hair, she gently reminded me, “Remember, love is what matters most here.”
Near the fireplace, my dad, Jeff, was sharintg stories about how he was charmed by Mom’s freckles. He’s passionate about our family history, especially the first dragon croissant our great-great-grandfather baked.
Our Crogon pastries are incredible, perhaps one day we might even open a bakery on the moon! Our puff pastry has a magical effect of bringing joy to everyone who tastes them.
Then, out of the blue, our bakery disappeared. Puff it was gone. Its demise had nothing to do with magic. A notice on our cheerful blue door, issued by Mayor Dagger D’Ville, cited “health concerns.” I of course sensed there was more to the story.
A few days earlier In the off-limits catacombs beneath Carpinteria. I overheard the mayor’s shocking plans for our family and our bakery.
But before I could catch everything, my sense of smell, inherited from my African ancestors, told me it was time to leave for I could sense the impending lightning and rain that was about to sweep through our little California town.
I had to get to the surface and fast!
Navigating the eerie tunnels during a storm was a real challenge. It was like, me versus nature, and I was totally like, ‘Gotta stay strong!’
The rain poured in fast and within seconds it was up to my ankles, then my knees, and the water was raged. It was like a movie scene, but way scarier ’cause it was for real.
I thought I was gonna be a goner, but I remembered what my fam always says about facing fears. So, I hustled like crazy and clawed my way to the surface to escape drowning.
Talk about intense! Also, quite terrifying.
When I finally sloshed my way home, everything was silent and I thought about Mayor Dagger D’Ville’s shady plans. Like, why would he want to mess with our bakery? Then it hit me – I remember hearing something about him growing mushrooms, probably not the good kind I use
What if the mayor was going to use dangerous mushrooms for something really evil?
That thought totally freaked me out. It’s like, our bakery is about making people happy with our magical pastries, but the mayor? He’s like the villain in a superhero comic, wanting to wreck everything good.
I felt scared, knowing someone so powerful was against us. But then, I remembered my dragon freckle and how it’s supposed to be lucky. I had to believe we could overcome the danger.
My sis noticed I was all spaced out and was like, “What’s up, Nosey?” I didn’t spill everything, but I told her about my worries. She’s always acting tough, but when it comes to serious stuff, she listens. She said, “We’ll figure it out, little bro. We’re a team, remember?”
So, yeah, the adventure in the tunnels was wild, but now there’s this bigger mystery with the mayor and his creepy plans. I’m not just about dodging storms and baking. I’ve got to use my super-smeller nose and my brains to help my fam.
It’s all about embracing my uniqueness and turning it into my strength. Gotta rise above the haters and show ’em what the Nosey fam is made of!”
